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Water Damage Emergency Tips

What You Can Do Right Now

So, you’ve determined it’s safe to stay in your home. Regardless of where the water damage is on your property, we recommend you take these steps to protect your loved ones and belongings.

Safety reminder! It’s important to remember that water will increase the weight of your possessions. Wet objects are heavy objects! Be careful when you try to pick up saturated objects. Belongings you could normally lift easily might now be much heavier.

Electrical outlets

If you see or suspect that the flooding has reached your electrical outlets, don’t enter the room of the water event. Always keep a safe distance from any pools of water unless you can verify that the water is not in contact with anything electrical.

Appliances

If you can reach your fuse box, turn off your electricity at the main circuit breaker. Unplug any appliances that are at risk of encountering the water damage. If you have any doubt about whether an appliance has already met water particles, don’t touch it and wait for a professional team to arrive.

Clothing

The worst thing you can do for your clothing is to leave them in a position where they can become more heavily saturated with dirty water. Hang your wet garments, as well as any household belongings that you might hang to dry such as sheets, towels, and blankets.

Inked objects

Paintings, books, art prints, and magazines are made with ink that can run and damage your carpeting, floors, or furniture. Many decorative rugs also use dyes which can bleed if left alone. We suggest elevating these objects. If you have a porch, deck or backyard, consider laying these items out in the sun. This will expedite the natural drying process and ensure your home does not sustain further damage.

Furniture

If you have aluminum foil on hand, it’s a good idea to wrap the legs of your furniture. Aluminum will protect the wood from absorbing water. You can also elevate the furniture using wood blocks if you have some available.

What You Can’t Do Right Now

Many homeowners attempt to use a vacuum to remove excess water. This is an incredibly dangerous and costly mistake. Household vacuums are not meant to take in extensive amounts of water. This will likely break your vacuum and could cause electrical problems that are hazardous to you and your family. It’s important to leave the water extraction to your restoration professional. We use highly specialized equipment and monitoring tools to safely remove water at any contamination level. We also ensure that your home is free of moisture that contributes to mold growth.

Flooding can happen at any time, leaving you knee-deep in water damage. Every circumstance is different, which is why we customize solutions to fit your property. Uncertain about the origin of your water damage? Check for the following common water damage scenarios.

Water damage can be quite an unsettling experience for you and your family, which is why we are committed to honest communication and transparency. From the first contact to water extraction to drying we’ve customized our process to meet your needs and restore your home.

Water damage is difficult to deal with, even without the pressure of filing an insurance claim. We have over a decade of experience working with claims and insurance companies, and we’ll become your trusted partner, helping you to navigate the process with your insurance company.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your water damage restoration cost is completely dependent on the severity of the damage. The final price tag will be determined by a variety of factors such as: cost of cleaning, the size of the damaged area, the type of water causing the damage, the cost of labor and restoration materials. The national average water damage restoration cost is $2,580. Of course, your restoration may cost as little as $1,000 or in excess of $8,000. To put these prices in perspective, drywall that was damaged with category 1 water could cost around $2,000 to repair. By contrast, a basement flooded with category 3 water, also known as black water, may cost $7,000 to repair. The only way to get an exact cost estimate is to reach out to a water damage restoration professional who will inspect the property. Visit our costs page for a more detailed explanation.

From your walls, to ceilings, to underneath wet flooring, water stains are a common problem for homeowners. To help you locate your water damage, we’ve put together a list of common water damage locations.

Do you suspect mold in your home? If you’ve recently experienced water damage or even minor flooding, you should be on the lookout for mold. Any situation that creates moisture, such as spills underneath the refrigerator, leaks under sinks, and damp basements will create the ideal environment for growth. Mold needs moisture and an organic substance called cellulose to grow. Cellulose can be found in almost any building material in your home, such as wood, carpeting, furniture, drywall and even your furniture. If you cannot see the mold, but you can smell an unpleasant, musty odor, it’s likely that there is mold hiding out of sight. Visit our common areas of mold growth page to learn where mold is most likely hiding in your home.

What Our Clients Say

“Michael dealt with our insurance company for us and got them to pay us for the entire project including the repairs! which saved us a huge headache! We were truly blown away by his level of professionalism. Water damage restoration in Los Angeles is a stressful process, but this team made sure that we were happy with the process every step of the way. So pleased with the work!”

JOANNE ROBERTSON • LOS ANGELES

“With the storm that hit LA recently, part of our ceiling in the living room caved in and unleashed all kinds of havoc. We were recommended Bright Restoration by a friends and we weren’t disappointed. From the moment these guys came to our home, we could tell they were experienced and professional. We felt safe in their hands every step of the process and you will too. Thanks, guys!”